08/25/2007

Long Before Joe Camel There Was The Hamm's Beer Bear

Its name (never mentioned in the commercials) is Sascha, after the wife of the founder of the company. Theodore Hamm's wife was named Louise. The Hamm's Beer bear was created by Patrick DesJarlait, an Ojibwa, in 1952 for an advertising campaign produced by the Campbell-Mithun advertising agency. For a period, a real bear named Sascha trained by Earl Hammond appeared in commercials as well. The Hamm's Beer bear was featured on endless array of signs, glassware, and tchotchkes such as clocks, ceramic miniatures, and ashtrays. It was so well-known and identified with Minnesota that the St. Paul Pioneer Press named the bear as a runner-up on its list of "150 Influential Minnesotans of the Past 150 Years" in 2000.

Comments

I had got a dream to begin my company, nevertheless I did not have enough amount of cash to do that. Thank heaven my friend proposed to take the loans. Therefore I received the bank loan and made real my dream.

I stumbled onto this website after doing a search of my father and the Hamms bear. I grew up with the bear. Actually, I helped put some of the commercials together. My father would do the outline of the figures and scenery on cells and I would painted in the cells. I was around 8-9 years-old at the time.

Here's a few details about the bear that most people don't know about.

My father was from the Red Lake Ojibwe reservation. He belonged to the bear clan. Many of the situations that the Hamms bear got into were based on stories my father grew up with. This isn't to say that the bear clan viewed bears as a humorous creature. The bear determined one's role and status in Ojibwe society. Although there was a deeper side to the bear, there was also a lighter side which formed the basis of the humorous stories.

I just wanted to say that I'm glad that you've acknowledged my father as the creator of the Hamms bear. The game - Minnesota Trivia - also provides that acknowledgment.

A few years ago, there was a group that held an anniversary regarding the Hamms bear. The StarTrib published an article based on information from the group. Oddly, there was no mention of my father's name. Rather, another artist was given credit as the creator of the bear.

I wrote a letter to the group and I also wrote to the editor regarding the omission of my father's contribution to the Hamms bear. I never received an answer nor was my letter published.

Obviously, the Hamms bear remains popular and has many fans. Unfortunately, some fans have forgotten the artist who brought the bear to life. The Hamms bear is one of the many legacies that my father left behind in his gift of art.